NEW DELHI: Rajesh Khanna, who did not receive any Padma awards during his lifetime, could posthumously be awarded the Padma Vibhushan.

The information and broadcasting ministry has recommended Khanna for the Padma award, under the arts category, to the home ministry.

The government is dwelling now on whether to bestow the Padma Bhushan or Padma Vibhushan on the late superstar, ahead of the next Republic Day. Padma awards are normally not awarded posthumously but in highly deserving cases, the government can consider a posthumous award in the very next Republic Day, after the demise of the person proposed to be honoured. Rajesh Khanna passed away on July 18, and the upcoming Republic Day is the last opportunity for government to honour him with a Padma award. This Republic Day, Bhupen Hazarika was given Padma Vibhushan, after he passed away in 2011.

Khanna, a raging superstar of his time, and also a Congress Lok Sabha MP, was never given any Padma award in his lifetime. Most of his contemporaries have been given the same honour over the past many years. Amitabh Bachchan was awarded the Padma Sri in 1984 and Padma Bhushan in 2001. Dharmendra received the Padma Bhushan in 2012, Dev Anand and Shashi Kapoor received the Padma Bhushan in 2001.

Dilip Kumar was bestowed the Padma Bhushan in 1991. Rajesh Khanna's leading heroines, Hema Malini and Waheeda Rehman, were awarded the Padma Sri in the 2000 and Padma Bhushan in 2012, respectively. Khanna was a Congress from New Delhi.

Rajesh Khanna had narrowly lost the New Delhi seat in 1991 to BJP veteran LK Advani, but won a bye-election after the BJP leader vacated the seat, as he had also won from Gandhinagar. Rajesh Khanna continued to be associated with Congress as an activist and campaigned for the party as recently as during the Punjab assembly elections.